“…the sprinkler system (stopped)Â the spread of the fire. But the building suffered significant damage from water that seeped from the roof all the way into the lobby…”
Officials are investigating the cause of a two-alarm fire on the roof of the Brent House Hotel at Ochsner Medical Center’s Old Jefferson campus that prompted the evacuation of a few hundred employees and hotel guests Thursday afternoon. There were reports of two people who suffered minor smoke inhalation, according to Joe Greco, director of the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department.
Firefighters went to the roof and discovered the source of the smoke was a 20-by-30-foot mechanical room that houses the building’s electrical panels and the elevator motors. Greco said the crew encountered heavy smoke and some flames in the room, but were able to extinguish the fire by 1:32 p.m.
The cause of the fire was still not known Thursday evening. Although there was speculation earlier in the day that the blaze may have started in the motor of one of the elevators, Greco said there was no evidence of that.
For more: http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2011/12/nvestigators_look_for_cause_of.html
